Good Mexican Food

When vacationing in Mexico and waiting for a shuttle to take me to the airport, I overheard two American girls say, "Gee, I can hardly wait to get back home so I can eat some good Mexican food!"

Yesterday, while dining at a Mexican friend's home, I told her the story. She told me that the Mexican food that is sold around Denver is not what she ate when she was growing up. She said, "In Mexico we do not have red or green chile." She also told me that flour tortillas are rare in Mexico because they eat corn tortillas. I told her that my father had no idea what a taco or a burrito were and he always asked the waitress to explain the food on the menu. It used to embarrass me because I thought he should know the different types of Mexican food.  I recall that staples in my home when I was growing up would be fried potatoes, beans, flour tortillas or bunielos, (like a sopapilla but not puffed up) and green or red chile. Now I understand why he did not know the names of the Mexican food served in a restaurant. I also know that the food served around the Denver area is different than the food served in New Mexico. Somehow, I believe that Tex-Mex food has become mixed in with New Mexico food creating different dishes.

Last evening  my plate had a drumstick on a bed of cubed potatoes, freshly cooked beans, refried rice in a tomato sauce, a green salsa made with tomatillos, and corn chips. The food not only looked appetizing, but it was muy deliciosa! By hand she squeezed limes to make a refreshing lemonada to drink.

My friend asked me for chile recipes because she has never made those dishes. I explained that when she drives around town to look for hand painted signs advertising Hatch's Green Chile. Hatch, New Mexico is known for its green chile and they sell it throughout the United States. I know that Pueblo, Colorado also has good green chile. I read somewhere that if the chile points up from the plant it will have a different flavor than the chile that points down. I have often wondered if this is true. I like a chile pepper called Big Jim's because they have a bite to them plus a good flavor. I was told that Big Jim's are from the Pueblo area.

The conclusion I have come to is that people like what they grew up eating and will always have a special spot in their tummy when the food comes close to what they remember.